Baring the Feet

Having rickets is not a desirable thing, but having it at the age of two or three years old guided my parents to a specialist for treatment.  According to mom, the first thing the doctor did was throw my shoes in the trash can, advised that I go barefoot as much as possible, consume cod liver oil and spend a certain amount of time in natural sunlight daily.  That was back in the mid-1950s.  Simple reason for being barefoot -- it correctly aligned my leg bones which led to better balance, strength, and undue stress on various points throughout the body.

Later in life, the energy flow connected with the feet was brought to my attention in yoga classes.  Even later in life, my line dance instructors explained the connection of stimulation through the bottom of the feet when dancing, running, etc., with improved vascular health.  I broadened that lesson to how much better that stimulation might be, then, with also being barefoot while doing those activities so that I could experience the full sensation of touch without the barriers of socks and shoes.  I believe that the pleasant sensations received from bare feet directly impact the pleasure sensors in the brain, producing a calming effect while also keeping the nerve firing pins active and strong.

It is exciting to see that the benefits of going barefoot has received more widespread attention.  It also validates that what I have personally learned and experienced is a reality and not just bogus information I willingly accepted.  Years ago I tended to think that being in shoes with added arch support for too long would be detrimental in the long run -- that it would cause the muscles to become too dependent and therefore weaken.  It is an unconscious habit of mine to be either completely barefoot or in shoes/sandals/mocassins without arch support part of the day or night.  I have sworn it makes a difference and, according to all the information that has come forth in the past few years, it does!